Camera Guides & Stories

Practical, honest guides on buying, selling, valuing and caring for vintage cameras and lenses — from an established UK specialist with 12,600+ items sold.

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Olympus XA3 DX 35mm compact film camera with Zuiko 35mm f/3.5 lens
Olympus XA3 Review: The XA2 With Automatic Film Speed
Olympus XA3 review: how it differs from the XA2, DX film coding, lens quality, faults to check and fair UK prices for this pocket film camera. Read more...
Olympus OM-2N MD 35mm SLR film camera with Zuiko 50mm f/1.8 lens
Olympus OM-2 Review: The OM-1 With Clever Automatic Exposure
Olympus OM-2 review: OTF metering explained, OM-2 vs OM-2N vs OM-2 Spot/Program, handling, faults to check and fair UK prices. Read more...
Olympus OM F.Zuiko Auto-S 50mm f/1.8 manual focus lens
Olympus Zuiko 50mm f/1.8 Review: Small, Sharp and Affordable
Olympus OM Zuiko 50mm f/1.8 review: versions explained, sharpness and handling, using it on OM film cameras and mirrorless bodies, faults and UK prices. Read more...
Canon FD 50mm f/1.8 S.C. manual focus lens
Canon FD 50mm f/1.8 Review: The Best-Value Standard Lens?
Canon FD 50mm f/1.8 review: FD vs New FD versions, sharpness and rendering, using it on film and mirrorless cameras, faults to check and UK prices. Read more...
Zenit E 35mm Soviet SLR film camera with Helios 44 58mm f/2 lens
Zenit E Review: The Cheapest Way Into Mechanical Film SLRs
Zenit E review: the Soviet mechanical SLR, its selenium meter, the Helios 44 lens, the shutter-speed rule you must follow, faults and UK prices. Read more...
Pentax K1000 35mm SLR film camera with SMC Pentax-M 50mm lens
Pentax K1000 Review: Is the Classic Student SLR Still the Best?
Pentax K1000 review: the fully mechanical student SLR, its meter, missing features, K-mount lens choices, faults to check and fair UK prices. Read more...
Canon AE-1 Program 35mm SLR film camera with Canon FD 50mm f/1.8 lens
Canon AE-1 Program Review: The Popular Starter SLR, Tested
Canon AE-1 Program review: program and shutter-priority modes, AE-1 vs AE-1 Program, handling, shutter squeal and other faults, plus fair UK prices. Read more...
Canon A-1 35mm SLR film camera with Canon FD 50mm f/1.8 lens
Canon A-1 Review: The Most Capable Classic Canon SLR?
Canon A-1 review: every exposure mode explained, viewfinder and handling, the A-series shutter squeal, battery needs and fair UK prices. Read more...
Olympus OM-1 MD 35mm mechanical SLR with Zuiko 50mm f/1.8 lens
Olympus OM-1 Review: The Compact Mechanical SLR Classic
Olympus OM-1 review: fully mechanical shutter, the battery question, OM-1 versus OM-1n, prism and meter faults to check, and fair UK prices. Read more...
Olympus OM10 35mm SLR film camera with Zuiko lens
Olympus OM-10 Review: The Easiest Way Into Film SLRs?
Olympus OM-10 review: aperture-priority automation, the Manual Adapter explained, Zuiko lens options, common faults and fair UK prices for beginners. Read more...
Olympus mju II 35mm all-weather compact film camera
Olympus mju II Review: Is the Cult Compact Worth the Price?
Olympus mju II review: the 35mm f/2.8 lens, handling quirks, the mju II Zoom alternatives, faults to check and what UK buyers should expect to pay. Read more...
Olympus XA2 35mm compact film camera with A11 flash
Olympus XA2 Review: The Pocket Film Camera That Still Makes Sense
Our hands-on Olympus XA2 review: how it handles, what the 35mm D.Zuiko lens delivers, the faults to check before you buy, and what a fair price looks like in the... Read more...